Where does “intransitive” come from?
Intransitive derives from Latin intransitivus, from Latin -ivus (adjective suffix) plus Latin itus (past participle), tracing through Proto-Indo-European ne, oyd-, en, and en.
intransitive (English): not transitive: not having, or not taking, a...
Definitions
- not transitive: not having, or not taking, a...
Ancestry of “intransitive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | transitive | Making a transit or passage; Affected by... |
| 2 | Latin | trānsitīvus | transiting passing over |
| 3 | Latin | trānsitus | traversed, passed through |
| 4 | Latin | trānseō | to traverse; cross, cross over; go across or over; pass, pass through, over or by |
| 5 | Latin | trāns | across, beyond |
| 6 | Latin | Padus | the River Po |
| 7 | Lepontic | Bodincus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |